Criminal Behaviour- Characteristics

Question 1

Definition

Answer 1

‘Behaviour that breaks the formal laws defined by a given society’
•‘Any act or lack of acting that violates the law and results in punishment by the state’
•‘an act harmful not only to some individual but also to a community, society or the state; Such acts are forbidden and punishable by law’
•‘A crime is only a crime if the state laws have been broken. Otherwise, it is just wrongdoing’

Question 2

Age

Answer 2

• The age at which an individual is considered legally responsible is debated.
• E.G, if a 3-year-old child took a toy from a shop would it be considered a crime?
• Technically it is stealing, but you wouldn’t suggest that the child is criminally responsible because of their age.
• In the UK, the age of criminal responsibility is ten, What this means is that a 10-year-old can be tried in court
• The most notorious example is that of 3-year old James Bulger, who was murdered by Thompson and Venables, who were both ten at the time.

Question 3

Historical Context

Answer 3

• Acts which are considered criminal at one point in time are not necessarily considered criminal at another point.
• it was once illegal in the UK to commit a homosexual act, this was decriminalised in 1967 under the Sexual Offences Act.
• Alan Turing - Arrested in 1952 for being in a same-sex relationship, In 1954 he committed suicide - The queen gave a royal pardon in 2014
• Section 58 of the Children Act 2004 stipulates that it is unlawful to hit a child under 3 where it is not in the context of “reasonable [parental] punishment”
• Confusion is created when more historical values are criminalised – what is now criminal and what is not?

Question 4

Culture

Answer 4

•Female genital mutilation (FGM) is considered acceptable in some cultures, but it is unlawful to perform FGM in the UK.
•Furthermore, it is also unlawful for permanent UK residents to take children out of the UK to have the procedure carried out.
It can be argued therefore that the definition of crime is a social construct; it is bound by the dominant morals, values and norms of a particular culture, at a particular time.